Browsing newsletters, somehow in June, I came across an information about an interesting event, an economic mission state of Nevada and the related B2B meetings of representatives of state and Polish companies organized by PARP. Not quite sure what to expect after that, but certainly looked worth applying.
July 30 at the headquarters of PARP in Warsaw took place the round of talks with representatives of several different industries located in Nevada and short conference on business development in the region.
Same meetings were so interesting that without thinking too much I accepted an invitation from EDAWN and rescheduled my August San Diego trip to visit also Reno and learn more about startups and new business opportunities in Northern Nevada.
Biggest little city
From previous trips many years ago, I remembered Reno as a “small Las Vegas”, meanwhile, in last 15 years it turned out now to be much closer to San Francisco than the gambling capital. Only 3h driving from famous but much more expensive Silicon Valley and 30 min from beautiful Lake Tahoe ski resorts make it almost perfect place to locate a startup/new tech office. Maybe that’s why it attracts companies like Tesla or Apple and slowly becomes another interesting tech hub for entrepreneurs and creative professionals.
To know more about Reno’s startups and entrepreneurial scene it’s good to start from its Startup Deck, pretty cool way of presenting 52 key people, programs, events, and places to visit. I didn’t have enough time to see even small part of Reno most interesting locations but had enough to feel creative spirit of this small but energetic city.
The Generator
Many people may already recognize this part of Nevada from annual desert festival Burning Man. Definitely the most remarkable location I visited was The Generator, unique coworking art space where many awesome Burning Man installations were created. The Generator follows the same philosophy as Burning Man, as they write about themselves:
The Generator is an oasis of decommodification. We don’t buy. We don’t sell. We dream. We convene. We create. We make. We’re inspired by the magic and inspiration we see in all its enormity at Burning Man each summer, and we want to keep it alive all year. We combine forces and share resources in the name of creative growth and community involvement for all.
It is a huge warehouse and workshop, filled with all possible tools and equipment, allowing artists from around the world to create amazing projects. From sculpture and painting, by welding and computer programming to dance on the rope, yoga and cooking. Anyone can find there unique space and create something special. Just enter, sign a waiver and start working…
The Generator keeps up with the money from main founders and grants from visiting artists. I’m curious if it would be possible to create such open-minded and shared space in Poland.
The Generator warehouse
I spent two inspiring days with my hosts from EDAWN, Joel and Doug, visiting some of Startup Deck businesses and entrepreneurship events, when tasting great food and local beer. Short but packed program helped me to leave Nevada with lots of new contacts, ideas and new growth plans for snow.dog.
